The Gift
by Sara Wolfe
Summary: Fate can work in mysterious ways, as Penny and Paige are about to discover.


Author's Note: This ficlet was inspired by the Grams/Paige scene in "Happily Ever After".

**The Gift**

Penny Halliwell smiled to herself contentedly. The girls were all at their respective schools, there were no demons to vanquish, the chores had been done, and she had to morning all to herself. Free time to sit with a cup of tea and a good book. Nothing could possibly ruin it.

Nothing, that is, except for that insistent knocking at the front door.

"I'm coming," she called irritably. Shooting her cup of tea a remorseful look, she stalked to the front door and threw it open. Then, she stopped in shock.

A young teenage girl stood on the front porch. She was huddled within herself, hidden in the depths of an oversized sweatshirt. Her arms were wrapped around her torso, her head hanging with shame or fatigue. Her long black hair hung down out of her sweatshirt hood, effectively hiding her face from Penny's view. She projected the air of a puppy expecting a beating.

"Can I help you?" Penny asked softly, fearing that even one loud word would frighten the girl away.

The girl looked up, terror etched in every line of her face. She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it and looked away fearfully.

"I need help," she finally whispered. "I can move things with my mind."

Penny started in amazement, and the girl shrank back slightly.

"Please, don't think I'm crazy, because I'm not," she insisted. "I don't know how, but I think you can help me. Please."

It was the desperation in the girl's eyes, plus a strange feeling that Penny couldn't put a name to, that made up her mind.

"Come in," she said, standing aside and holding the door open.

The girl slunk in slowly, keeping one eye on Penny the entire time. At Penny's gesture, she sat down gingerly on the couch.

"I'm Penny Halliwell," Penny said, extending a hand. "Who are you?"

"I'm Paige," the girl said, shaking her hand timidly. "Paige Matthews."

Penny was startled for a second time that day. This girl couldn't possibly be…

"Could you show me what you mean by moving things with your mind, Paige?" she asked shakily.

Paige nodded and held out a hand. "Tea cup," she said clearly. Blue-white orb sparkles coalesced around the cup, and then it was transported from the table into Paige's hand.

Penny sat back, trying to piece together everything that she'd just learned. The girl was clearly a witch; she had the powers of both a witch and a Whitelighter. She was the same age that Patty and Sam's daughter would be. And she looked so much like Prue, Piper, and Phoebe. Penny shook her head slowly. There was nothing else to consider; this girl had to be her youngest granddaughter.

Then, she brought herself back to reality. No matter what seemed to be, there was still what was. And that was a terrified neophyte witch who had no idea what she was, or what she could possibly be. Looking up at Paige, she smiled brightly.

"Well, my dear," she said as cheerfully as she could, "you seem to be a witch."

"Isn't that bad?" Paige asked. "That's what the Bible says, anyway."

"I'm a witch," Penny told her bluntly.

Paige looked at her in surprise, and she gave her a reassuring smile. Then she flicked her wrist, and sent a tissue box flying across the table, toward Paige. Paige's eyes widened in shock and she touched the box gingerly, as though afraid it might blow up.

"We witches aren't evil, Paige," Penny told her. "We're very good, as a matter of fact. We protect innocents and fight evil."

"Like what?" Paige asked, clearly interested despite herself.

"Well demons and warlocks, but that's not important at the moment," Penny said hastily. "What is important is that you have been given a wonderful gift, Paige. And with it, you've been given a wonderful opportunity to do good in this world."

"My parents were afraid of me," Paige said suddenly, staring down at the floor.

"My father acted like I was possessed by the devil. My mother wouldn't speak to me. It was just an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't mean to move the coffee cup. It was just an accident. I'm so sorry."

As she burst into tears, Penny moved over and cradled Paige to her.

"It's okay," she murmured. "You're safe here. No one is going to be afraid of you."

Paige cried for almost fifteen minutes, releasing pent-up emotions that she'd clearly been holding inside for some time. As she cried, Penny kept up a steady stream of soft words designed to keep Paige from becoming hysterical. When Paige finally stopped sobbing, she blotted her eyes with a Kleenex and looked ashamed of her actions.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Sometimes tears can be a good thing," Penny said gently. Then, she smiled at her newfound granddaughter. "Would you like to learn about your heritage, Paige?"

"What do you mean?" Paige asked curiously.

"I need to make some potions," Penny told her, figuring a little white lie wouldn't hurt anything. "Would you like to help me?"

"I'd love it!" Paige exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

Penny was hard-put to hide her smile; the girl was definitely a Halliwell.

"Come with me," Penny said, gesturing.

She led the way into the kitchen and showed Paige her extensive store of herbs and other potions supplies. Paige marveled over what she saw, and Penny felt happy at being able to share her Craft with at least one of her granddaughters.

"How about a simple one?" Penny suggested, when Paige asked what potion they would be making. "A headache potion, perhaps?"

She showed Paige what ingredients to use, then they got to work. As they made the potion, Penny kept up a casual conversation with Paige, asking subtle questions about her family and her home life.

During the course of the conversation, Penny determined that Paige attended the same school as Phoebe, Bay View Junior High. She was in the seventh grade; she hated her physical education teacher because he had the sensitivity of a rock; and she was adopted.

That last one simply confirmed Penny's feeling that Paige was her youngest granddaughter. The only problem lay in whether or not to tell Paige-and Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.

"You know," Paige said as she was stirring the soupy potion mixture, "you remind me a lot of my grandmother. She died last year, and I miss her a lot. Please don't be offended, but I feel like you are my grandmother."

"That's quite a compliment and I'm not offended," Penny said, touched. "I know I could never replace your grandmother, but you're welcome to call me Grams if you would feel more comfortable. It's what my granddaughters call me."

"Okay…Grams," Paige said, smiling slightly. "What do we do next?"

"Now, we stick that in the refrigerator and wait for it to cool," Penny replied.

"It takes a lot longer than taking Tylenol," Paige observed, "but it's a lot more fun."

"My thoughts exactly," Penny said. "Would you like to see something else? It's a family heirloom."

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"Follow me."

Penny led her charge up to the attic and opened the door. She shut the door behind them before leading Paige over to the Book of Shadows.

"Wow," Paige breathed, looking reverently at the yellowed pages of the ancient Book. "This is amazing. How long has it been in your family?"

"Since before the days of the Salem Witch Trials," Penny informed her. "It all began with a witch named Melinda Warren."

Looking at Paige so awed by the Book and its history, she took a deep breath and came to a decision.

"And it continues with you," she said softly.

Paige looked at her in amazement.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You are my granddaughter, Paige," Penny said. "The daughter my own daughter had to give up thirteen years ago. She delivered her to a church on Oak Street and asked that she be placed in a good home."

"There's only one church on Oak Street," Paige said slowly, "and it's where I was left as a baby. One of the nuns named me, and found me a family."

She stopped and thought back over everything that had happened to her that afternoon.

"You're my grandmother?" she asked finally.

"It looks to be that way," Penny said. "Are you okay?"

"I love my parents," Paige said quietly, "but I've always wondered who my birth family was. I never thought I'd find out. This is… "

She broke off her train of thought and choked back tears.

"Thank you for telling me," she said at last. Then, she let out a short laugh. "I've always wanted siblings and now I have some."

"Three, to be exact," Penny told her. "I realize that you would never want to leave your parents, but you are welcome over here at any time."

"Thanks, Grams," Paige said, eyes brimming with tears. "I can't believe this," she said.

Penny was about to say something, when all hell broke loose. A warlock blinked into the room and formed an energy ball in his hand. Paige screamed in terror and dove behind the couch.

With a flick of her wrists, Penny sent the warlock flying across the room, but he got up again and advanced on her determinedly. He created another energy ball and launched it at her. Penny readied herself for the inevitable impact, when she heard Paige cry out.

"Grams!" she yelled, stretching her hand out. "Energy ball!"

The energy ball was enveloped by orb-sparkles, and then it was deterred from its course as it appeared in Paige's hand. Furiously, she drew her arm back and threw the energy ball at the warlock with all her might. It hit the warlock, and sent him up in flames.

He died instantly, screaming in pain. Completely ashen, Paige sank down to the floor where she stood and buried her head against her knees.

"Paige! Are you all right?" Penny asked anxiously. Paige nodded wordlessly.

"I'm not hurt," she whispered. "Did I kill that man?" she asked, looking up at Penny tearfully.

"He was a warlock," Penny explained. "He was evil, and he was coming here to hurt one of us."

Paige looked stunned by the revelation. "Would he come after me because I'm a witch?" she asked.

At Penny's affirmative answer, she continued. "Would he come after my family?"

"It's possible," Penny admitted.

"Then I don't want to be a witch!" Paige exploded. "Not if it puts my family in danger. I can't lose them."

"I think I have a solution," Penny said sadly, knowing she was about to lose her granddaughter again. "Let's go back down to the kitchen."

They went down, and Penny went over to the refrigerator. She dug around in the back of the refrigerator and finally emerged with a small vial filled with a light purple liquid.

"What's that?" Paige asked, as Penny turned to face her.

"It's a power binding potion," Penny told her. "It will seal your powers and render them inactive. Warlocks and other evil creatures will be unable to find you or your family if you drink this.

"Bear in mind," she said, looking Paige straight in the eye, "that this will only bind your powers, not remove them. It can be reversed if you ever wish it to be."

"Will it do anything else?" Paige asked, staring as though entranced at the bottle.

"Your knowledge of being a witch will be erased," Penny said sadly. "As will your memories of meeting me."

"So if I take this, my family will be safe, but I won't remember you?" Paige asked. "That's not fair."

"I know it's not," Penny said. "But all magic has a price. If you forfeit your magic, you must forfeit your memories as well."

"I hate this," Paige said angrily.

She held out her hand and Penny wordlessly handed her the potion vial.

"Before I drink this," Paige continued, "I want you to know how much this afternoon has meant to me. Thank you, Grams. I love you."

"I love you too, Paige," Penny said softly. Paige smiled at her.

Tipping her head back, she downed the contents of the bottle in one gulp. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a white light shimmered around her entire body before receding. Paige blinked several times and then focused on Penny.

"What am I doing here?" she asked quizzically.

"Are you feeling better, dear?" Penny asked, pasting a fake smile on her face. "You had me so worried."

"What happened?" Paige asked, looking more confused than ever.

"Sunstroke, dear," Penny lied easily. "You looked just awful when you came in. But you look much better now."

"Thank you for your help," Paige said hesitantly. "I should probably be going home now." Turning, she walked quickly through the living room and out the front door.

Walking over to the window, Penny watched as Paige hurried down the driveway and along the sidewalk. She stood at the window for several minutes, long after she could no longer see her granddaughter. Then, she turned back to the horribly empty house.

_'I told you that you had a gift, Paige,'_ she thought. _'But you gave me the most precious gift ever. You gave me my granddaughter back.'_

Then, as the front door slammed, Penny turned to greet the rest of her family.


End file.
